Permanent agent is a composition used to set a hair design maintained for a long time. In general, permanent agent is often comprised of a reducing agent that reduces a disulfide bond of cystine when it is applied to the hair and an oxidizing agent that oxidizes the disulfide bond to reset hair in a desired mode after treating the reducing agent and to fix the hair design.
For a reducing agent of permanent agent, thiol, sulfide, bisulfide or the like are often utilized. Precisely, the reducing gent can be selected from the group consisting of cysteine and its derivative, cysteamine and its derivative, thiolactic acid, thioglycolic acid and its ester or alkali salt and glyceryl thioglycolate. Especially, thioglycolic acid alkali salt is reported to be most effective among the reducing agents and is a universal component of a reducing agent included in a permanent agent.
Several techniques relating to a permanent agent have been disclosed as follows.
The hair treatment agent of keratin fiber that is encapsulated by polyvinyl alcohol to sustain various constituents preventing a hair injury is disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-open No. 2001-0033091. Also, the method for mixing other components such as polyvinyl pyrrolidone, surface-active agent and extender for viscosity in a permanent agent to retain the setting function of hair styling agent such as mousse, spray, gel and glaze as well as the permanent press function on the hair, is demonstrated in Korean Pat. No. 0167487.
In addition, the permanent agent and straightening agent wherein stable beads in the reductive agent 1 and the oxidative agent 2 containing a hair nutrient component are dispersed to decrease hair injury and scalp irritation, to enhance the sustainability and not to be affected by heating and the method for preparing the same are disclosed in Korean Pat. No. 0405955. Besides, the permanent composition comprising ceramide, cysteine and phospholipid and the method for applying a permanent set by combining hair shampoo, treatment agent, oxidant, rinse, cuticle modulator with the same, are illustrated in Korean Patent Laid-open No. 2002-0021141. Also, the process for washing hair by using shampoo containing ceramide; the process for providing a treatment agent containing ceramide on the hair; and the method for pressing a permanent comprising steps (1) setting hair by using a permanent press composition and (2) treating an oxidant are disclosed. Furthermore, the method for pressing a permanent wherein a multiple system using one more substance among two soluble agents and a rinse product is adopted as a chemical suitable for the reductive reaction of keratin fiber and the persistent oxidative reaction, is demonstrated in Korean Patent Laid-open No. 2002-0021392. Herein, oil component and alcohol are defined and a conditioning agent is also included. In addition, the method for treating keratin to reset the hair permanently, wherein for a stable reducing agent comprising a solid composition in a powder form and a liquid composition, cysteine, cysteamine or the like are mixed to maintain the stability and the efficacy of a reducing agent, even if other reducing agent becomes unstable and ineffective and for a solid carrier, silica, clay, carbohydrate and organic polymer are selected, is already illustrated in Korean Pat. No. 0411960.
Generally, a method for pressing a permanent by using a permanent agent mentioned above is proceeded as follows.
In the first step, a reducing composition containing a reducing agent is treated to dissociate a disulfide bond of keratin (i.e., cystine).
In the second step, a curling device such as rods for a permanent press (hereinafter, referred to as “perm rod”) or other means are equipped to set hair by tensile force after dissociating a disulfide bond.
In the third step, an oxidizing composition (also referred to as “neutralizing agent”) is added on the hair curled above to rearrange the disulfide bond and finally, maintain the hair in a desired mode.
By the process for pressing a permanent described above, the hair can be curled, straightened, untied to remove a curl or waved smoothly. In this procedure, a hair-curling apparatus such as perm rod and rubber band can be exploited to fix hair in an intended mode, or a vinyl cap can be used to prevent the evaporation of moisture from a reducing composition or an oxidizing composition.
However, there are some disadvantages in the conventional process for pressing a permanent as follows.
First, this procedure may be dangerous to drop out hairs or cause red spots on the scalp, because hair is pulled down and set forcibly and elongate a disulfide bond of cystine to decrease the elastic strength of hair, break hair easily and injure the hair.
Second, it may leave a rod track because a hair-curling device are equipped as compressing by mechanical force and carve a rubber band track on the hair because a rubber band is placed on the hair to fix a perm rod. As a result, the hair is cut and hurt at the track to interfere a wave set in a desired mode.
Third, it cannot apply a natural wave set on the hair because a forcible permanent wearing a hair-curling device such as perm rod and rubber band makes an artificial curl.
Fourth, it may cause a severe hair injury by a permanent agent since at least 40 minutes is required to curl hair and is inconvenient and painful to spend more than 40 minutes while wearing a curling device.
Fifth, it cannot apply a wave set on the hair without rods.
The permanent agents and methods for performing a permanent press described above have been utilized for 80 years, but are seldom improved and displaced in spite of such a problem. Even reformed product does not outgrow the conventional process remarkably, although it adopted a surface-active agent or the like in a straightening agent to apply a straight wave. Therefore, it is necessary that the permanent agent developed presently should utilize a curling device such as perm rod or rubber band to fix hair to an intended design.
On the other hand, the hair setting agent comprising solution 1 containing polysaccharide and solution 2 containing metal salts reacting with the polysaccharide and gelling, is elucidated in Japanese Unexamined Pat. No. 2000-191478. Unfortunately, it just described the process for setting hair temporarily after coating by the gel reaction of polysaccharide or the technique for attaching a decoration on the hair. That is to say, the hair styling product that applies a wave set disappearing during styling or shampoo-washing and induces to reset hair temporarily are clarified in Japanese Unexamined Pat. No. 2000-191478. This product is clearly discriminated from the permanent agent of the present invention that maintains a hair design for several weeks after treatment and does not change a wave set even if washing hair by water or shampoo.